


The Truth is What Hurts the Most

by Miss_Mysteries



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, possibly going to be a long series, some characters wont come in for a few chapters but they'll be there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-23 14:21:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6119128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Mysteries/pseuds/Miss_Mysteries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While on chasing after an akuma, Chat is stuck in a room with Le Papillon. What happens next reveals far much more of the truth than what Adrien or Marinette are comfortable knowing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

The streets of Paris were cold that night. Not from wind, or from cold weather, or any other natural cause. No one _knew_ why it was so cold that night, no one knew why they felt chills down their spines and why they felt like they should hold their loved ones to make sure they were safe and warm. No one knew. No one knew except for the two poor souls who had caused it all.

It had started out as an akuma attack like any other. Some unlucky kid had been overwhelmed by having too many things going on at once and having to travel all the time. The Papillon had targeted him out, subjecting him to become a holographic villain who could teleport to anywhere he wanted within Paris. Ladybug and Chat had both agreed that this akuma was extremely overpowered. Anytime the small boy would be within their line of sight, his bright blue suit and dark purple hair catching their eyes, the akuma would transport away.

The first few times he transported away were the most frustrating. The akuma would travel all the way across Paris, prompting the two superheroes to find him again. It was the most aggravating and unfair game of cat and mouse either of them had played.

After doing this almost 3 times, the akuma caught Ladybug and Chat off guard, and instead of travelling across Paris, appeared right behind them, attempting to snatch their miraculouses.

Soon, they had a pretty good grasp of how to find him. He would typically transport to places that he was familiar with. Chat and Ladybug had come up with a system where one of them would be on guard from above the city streets to see if they could spot him from the typical places he was transporting any quicker. Still, it was becoming almost a chore to chase the kid around the city.

“Hey, I think I see him through a window over there!” Chat shouted down to Ladybug as he hopped across buildings. He pointed to what looked to be an abandoned building, old and browning with age. There were wire fences surrounding the building, making Ladybug guess that the building was either set for demolition, or it was being renovated.

Chat jumped beside her, and together they ran into the building the building.

It was a mess. The floors were covered in broken glass and broken concrete blocks. There were a few pieces of furniture left in the building, like an old couch and a reclining chair, but they were all scratched up with the cushioning surrounding them on the floor, as if an animal had been in there recently. There were a few, old light bulbs hung from the ceiling, but there was no light switch to be seen.

Dust covered everything, making Ladybug feel as if she were going to sneeze any minute. It was stuffy as well, maybe as caused by the boarded up window frames. Ladybug was instantly uncomfortable being there. She looked towards her partner, but could only really see a shadow of his face. With it being night and no visible light being let through the building, she found it hard to see him. But, she assumed he was feeling the same way.

“Come on, there are stairs this way, m’lady, and our villain seems to have just ran up them.” Chat replied, grabbing Ladybugs hand and maneuvering her around the broken glass and other dangerous items on the ground. Ladybug sometimes forgot about her partners impeccable sight in the dark.

They made their way up the stairs, where it was mainly just a balcony floor with a single door, black with brown detailing of flowers on it. It was wide open. The akuma victim was just standing in the middle of the empty room, grinning like a madman. He made no attempt to escape and transport. He just stood there.

Chat snickered, a crooked smile growing on his face.

“Looks like that cats in the bag. This is almost too easy.” Her partner said, dashing through the door into the room.

_This is almost too easy…_

“Oh no.” Ladybug muttered, “Wait- Chat!” She warned, running after Chat. But by the time she had put together what was happening, it was too late. Once Chat was in the room, the door slammed shut, leaving Ladybug outside of the room.

“No! Chat!” She yelled. She ran to the door. She wiggled the doorknob, pushing the door with her entire body. It wouldn’t budge. Ladybug backed up a bit, preparing to kick the door down. Yet, when her foot collided with the door, all she felt was a sharp pain run through her leg.

For a full minute, she tried her best to open the door, but she realized that she wouldn’t be able to do it. It was as if the door was… enchanted.

Ladybug panicked, pulling out her yo-yo. For a second, she considered using her lucky charm to get the door down. But she didn’t know what was going to be waiting for her on the other side of the door. If she wasted her lucky charm on getting in the room, there might be something terrible inside that she wouldn’t be able to fend off, giving her only 5 minutes and no lucky charm to help her.

If she wasn’t going to be able to help, she was at least going to make sure everything was going all right with her friend while she tried to find another way into the room.

She slid open her yo-yo, allowing her to look into the room where Chat had been locked up.

The room where it happened.

When she looked inside, she could see Chat. He almost looked lost. He kept glancing around the room, as if searching for something. The room had a single window- a skylight. It still seemed to be perfectly in tact, so Ladybug didn’t know how well Chat was going to be able to use it to get out of there, or how she was going to use it to get in.

Her decision from there was to keep pushing door, assuming that if at any point, the magic keep the door shut would let loose, she could get in. Despite her right ankle now severely in pain from her other attempts to get the door open, she used it to hold her weight against the door.

“I’ll get you out Chat!” She called, but when she looked at her screen, Chat showed no indication of hearing anything. She could tell that he couldn’t hear her at this point.

A large booming voice echoed within the room. Chat held his staff firmly, circling around the room, prepared to fight.

“Ah, well! As you would say Chat, ‘Look what the cat dragged in.’ Good job Trasportalizer, you may leave now. I have what I want.” The voice proclaimed. Just then, a bright light glowed down the stairs. Ladybug looked to see a small boy, no older than 13, lying on the ground, unconscious. She ran down there. She couldn’t look out for any of the dangers on the floor, but her foot was already in too much pain that she didn’t notice if she did step in anything.

Ladybug went by the boys side, checking to see if he had a heartbeat.

_Okay, still alive._ She thought. She looked outside, spotting a young woman walking on the sidewalk. Ladybug scooped up the boy, running out to the woman.

“Please, bring this boy to the hospital. He has a heartbeat, but make sure that he is okay. Find a taxi to bring him there, I’ll promise to make it up to you.” The woman looked shocked, staring down at the young boys body. Still, she nodded, taking the boy from Ladybugs arms and running to find a ride. Ladybug sighed with relief. One thing down, one more to go.

Sprinting back up to the door again, Ladybug checked her yo-yo again, watching as she continued to find a way to get the door open without using lucky charm.

“Who are you?” Chat called out, looking towards the ceiling of the room.

Suddenly, a man in a purple suit with a black butterfly mask emerged from the shadows.

“Papillon.” Ladybug realized, almost dropping her yo-yo. She could see the same look of shock on her partners face.

For years they had been trying to track down the evil villain that was terrifying Paris, but they had never thought they would be the ones captured by _him_.

Without saying anything, Chat ran to attack. Papillon simply raised his hand, a swarm of butterflies rising from the ground, moving as a group towards Chat. Chat looked as if he had hit a wall from all the force the butterflies came at him with. There must have been hundreds of them surrounding her partner, impairing his vision. He made vain attempts to swat them away with his staff, but nothing worked.

Ladybug considered using her lucky charm now to get into the room. She couldn’t just leave Chat in a room with their worst enemy alone.

_But what then? You get in and what then? You are left with nothing to defeat Papillon with, and you are as good as dead._ A voice nagged within her. And the voice was right, if she wasted her lucky charm, then Papillon had more of a chance of ending up with two more miraculouses, and she didn’t want to see that day come.

Back on the screen, Ladybug could see as Chat raised his hand, still covered in little white butterflies. She realized what he was trying to do; he was trying to attempt a cataclysm.

His hand was swarmed in a black mist as he swiped through the line of butterflies. A good number of them disappeared, but as Chat exited the swarm of flying insects, he was met with a kick to the face from Papillon. Chat stumbled, caught off guard from the attack.

Chat growled, running towards Papillon once again. This time Papillon didn’t bother using his butterflies, but it didn’t matter. Papillon was swifter than him, dodging almost every attack Chat attempted to make. Hit after hit, Chat kept on getting injured though.

“Where’s the fly swatter so I can splat this bug already.” Chat groaned. However, his short pause for a terrible pun left his distracted for far too long. Papillon kicked him from behind, leaving Chat on his knees. Papillon pinned Chat’s arms behind his back, yanking the staff out of his hands and tossing it across the room.

Ladybug could see Chat’s face. Exhausted. Tired. Angry, but not left with enough energy to get up and fight again.

Papillon circled around the boy until he met Chat’s face. Chat hissed at him, which just prompted Papillon to backhand him in the face.

“Well well well, what do we have here. A little, disobedient cat who likes to meddle in the business of others. How annoying.” Another kick to the face. Chat made no attempts to talk now. His head was hung. and he looked as if he was soon going to collapse.

“Nevermind any of that. I believe you have something I want.” Papillon snickered, yanking up Chat’s arm. Chat looked as if he wanted to protest, but made no clear attempts to, except for a few attempts to scratch the villain, all of them easily dodged.

Papillon grinned, staring at the dark black ring with pleasure. He pulled it off of Chat’s finger, staring at it intently. A dark glow surrounded Chat.

Ladybug didn’t want to be watching this. It felt wrong just watching as she found out her partners civilian self in the worst way possible.

By the time the transformation was complete, Papillon had placed the ring in a small box full of other pieces of jewelry. He looked down to see who the boy was, and his smile faded.

Papillons eyes grew wide. He looked as if he were staring at a familiar face. The look of joy he had just had was now filled with fear and pain. You would think that he had seen a ghost. The entire building, what seemed to be the whole of Paris, went silent for the ten longest seconds on Ladybugs life.

Because she had gasped when she was who was sitting on the floor where Chat had previously been.

Adrien Agreste.

_Her_ Adrien. The Adrien she had been pining after since he had joined their school. The Adrien who was sweet and kind to everyone, even those with the cruelest hearts. The Adrien who always thought of others, that was, quite frankly, shy and very quiet and submissive.

The Adrien that she loved.

That same Adrien was now in the place of Chat. Her best friend, partner, the person she trusted with her life.

The guy she had fallen head over heels for was the same guy that constantly flirted with her, that she had hung out with nearly every day for _years_.

She held her fingers up to her mouth. It had to be a joke. It couldn’t be real. Those two could not be the same person.

But she was seeing it unfold with her own eyes.

As was Papillon.

Ladybug couldn’t describe it, but it was as if he was having similar thoughts to she. The sudden realization of Chat Noir being Adrien Agreste bothering him just as much it did Ladybug.

Ladybug knew she had to use lucky charm now. She had no choice, so she did. However, all she got was a rusted, copper key. She looked to the door, where there was no keyhole.

_Great. Now I have to go find where this key goes. God, I hope he’s okay._ She thought, glancing down at her yo-yo while she searched around the building for a keyhole to fit the lock in.

On the screen, she noticed Papillon's face of shock was gone soon. Replaced with a grin.

Papillon squated down, meeting eye level with Adrien.

“Look what we have here. Paris’s star boy-model Adrien Agreste, posing as a snarky, annoying pest running around the streets of France. Don’t you think that’s a little irresponsible?” Papillon teased.

Adrien lifted his head, scowling. Ladybug could see just how bruised he was from all of the hits. His face was cut and bruised, his right eye black and swelling.

“Who do you think you are?” Adrien hissed at Papillon, obviously trying to keep his composure, as he couldn't fight; He was at too high disadvantage being Adrien to risk that.

Papillon laughed.

“God, maybe you are as dumb as I always thought you were as Chat. What kind of son wouldn’t recognize his own father?”


	2. Chapter 2

_ What kind of son wouldn't recognize his own father? _

The question burned in Adrien's mind. He just gaped up at the Papillon after he had said it. Was he angry? Confused? He couldn't tell, his emotions felt blurred; he could no longer distinguish one over another.

Adrien denied it at first. Papillon  _ couldn't _ be his father. It seemed almost impossible. Sure, his father could be less than perfect, but Adrien had always connected that to the disappearance of his mother. He never truly thought that his dad was evil.

But as much as he denied it, a part of Adrien’s brain kept saying, “What if?”

So now, Adrien, bruised, pain rushing through his entire body, exposed to his worst enemy, and completely without his miraculous and Plagg.

He was worthless.

Adrien observed Papillon’s face in for lack of something to say. It was twisted into a smile of… bittersweet. Almost as if he had been sucker punched, but was about to twist the situation into his own, sick benefit.

Before Adrien had the chance to sort out all of the fears and thoughts and questions rushing through his head, the Papillon started pacing around him. Adrien did nothing to stop him. What was the point, he was powerless at this point.

“Oh Adrien Agreste. The boy who tries to stay strong for everyone. Friends. Peers. Everyone. You do things to make others happy. You fake emotions so everyone thinks you're fine. You act charming and kind as Adrien and prance around as someone who is confident and arrogant as Chat Noir. You try to act strong, but really all you are is fragile.” Papillon taunted. Adrien growled, looking back down at the ground, not daring to meet the eye of his enemy.

“So you're not going to talk? To your own family? Shame. If I can't get something out of you, you become boring. I might have to get someone else in here. You have someone who really cares about you and has something I really want right outside that door. I could just open the door-” The Papillon hissed, his words like that of a snake tempting its prey into a trap. Adrien interrupted him, attempting to stand back up. His left leg limped, and he felt like he was going to collapse any minute, but he didn't care.

“Don't you  _ dare  _ touch her.” Adrien snapped, his voice quiet but sharp. Papillon swiftly moved his foot, easily tripping Adrien and causing him to fall back onto the floor.

Suddenly, the Papillon halted. Adrien’s heart stopped. He glanced over, wondering what his… father... was going to do next.

Adrien looked to where Papillon was looking; his Jean pocket. Adrien put his hand on his pocket, eyes widening as he realized what was in there.

It was Marinette’s charm, the one she had given him when they had been practicing for the gaming tournament. Adrien had forgotten he even had it with him.

Marinette had told him it had brought her good luck. He could certainly use some right now.

Right now, he was vulnerable. Trapped.

Papillon chuckled.

“Ah, I see. I know what you want, Adrien. You want to protect your friends, your partner. You want to make everyone happy. But you don't feel strong enough, do you? You feel too weak and fragile to do so.

I can help you, son. If you get Ladybugs miraculous, she so t be in danger anymore. She and you will be safe forever, I promise. And you'll have the power to save those you care about.

All you have to do is work with me. You know what they always say; like father like son. Join me.”

***

Adrien had never understood why people fell into being akumatized. He always figured people would find a way to control their anger, to not let Papillon's words influence them.

At least, he didn't understand it until he was being spoken to. The Papillon's words were like silk. They weaved through Adriens ears and made him feel comfortable. Made him feel like he could serve justice.

He'd been betrayed by family, poked at and taunted as his enemy spoke his own inner thoughts out loud. The warm feeling of comfort he was getting from the Papillon's words made him feel like giving in wasn't all that bad.

***

Adrien’s mind melted. He lost perception of time. His sight was hazy.

“Rise, Porcelain.” A voice called. His hearing was like he was underwater; the words blended together and he could only vaguely hear what was going on.

Adrien looked down to see Marinette's charm glowing purple. He held up his hands to his face. A purple and black list was moving up them, and looking down, he realized it was moving up his whole body.

It reached his neck by the time Adrien noticed what the mist was doing to him.

His hands were an off white, his knuckles had turned to nuts and bolts. His skin was cracked in many places, and had a shine to it. It was almost as if he was turning into…

A Porcelain doll.

He tried to move his hands, but they made awkward squeaking sounds every time he tried. His movements were hard and rigid, and he had trouble maintaining control of what he was doing.

That was when Adrien’s breathing grew heavy. His heart was beating out of his chest and he felt as if he were going to faint. He didn’t know what was happening. He was becoming a cold, empty doll. A host to an unfamiliar body that he would soon have no control of.

It was only then that he fully grasped the situation at hand; he had let the Papillon tempt him into being a villain. He had let him control his thoughts and emotions, twisting them into a way that would make him turn evil.

_ But he couldn't turn evil. He was Chat Noir, the hero of Paris. It wasn’t right. _

_ He was about to betray Ladybug. _

_ No. No no NO. He was not going to let that happen. He was not going to become another pawn in the Papillons game. He was not going to let his fears consume him and turn him into someone that he was not.  _ _ That’s not who he was. He had to stay strong. _

_ For Ladybug. _

_ For his friends. _

_ For himself. _

_ He would NOT let this happen. _

Adrien kept saying these things to himself, more aware than ever of his predicament.

Then, it faded.

The black and purple smoke never reached his head, instead it rushed back down his body, a purple butterfly fluttering in the air. Adrien looked down to his hands. They were back to normal. And, held in his left hand, was Marinette’s charm, crushed by his own hand.

His senses cleared. Adrien could see clearly again, expecting to see Papillon, but instead found himself alone in the room.

Adrien slid down to the floor. He didn’t bother moving, or even going to see if he could get out of the room now. It was pointless. He was tired, and just wanted to collapse and do nothing about it. He still had so many questions running through his head. There were things he had not yet fully comprehended, including what the Papillon had said to him.

_ What kind of son wouldn't recognize his own father? _

The door suddenly burst open, catching Adrien’s surprise. Ladybug rushed in. Adrien didn’t know what he was going to say, how he was going to explain any of what happened to her. Would she be disappointed? Mad? He quickly analyzed the situation, trying to think of the best possible explanation to tell her.

But, just as Adrien was about to say something, Ladybug interrupted him. She fell to the floor, hugging him. She held him close, so close that Adrien could hear her heart beating out of her chest and feel the warmth that she radiated.

She didn’t say anything, but simply held him. Held him like she was trying to hold onto something she had almost lost.

And Adrien was speechless.

“God, Chat… Adrien… I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought that- oh my god.” She whispered, pulling him closer. He didn’t object. In fact, he didn’t say anything at all.

_ Had she seen that? How can she hug me after seeing that entire fiasco? _

But he didn’t care. Because there Ladybug was, hugging Adrien. Not Chat Noir, but Adrien. And she was holding him close, protectively.

Ladybug finally broke the hug, holding him by the shoulders.

“Are you okay? Adrien please say something.” She pleaded. Adrien could see her eyes; she was tired. She was worried. She was fearful.

All for him.

“Y-yeah. I’m okay.” He replied quietly. “You know what they say, a cat's got nine lives, so I’ve still got a while to live. Don’t worry.” Adrien grinned weakly.

“I’m not sure now is the best time for joking around, Chat.” Ladybug sighed, laughing as she pulled him in for another hug. She truly cared for him, and after all he had just been through, it was nice to know that his partner was always going to be there for him.

Without pulling away from the hug, Ladybug continued.

“Promise me you won’t let his words get to your head. You know the Papillon, he spins his words and tells lies to make people believe him.” She paused. “But, just in case he wasn’t lying about being… well… you know, find someplace safe for tonight. Go to a friends house or the house of someone you trust. Please, promise me.” She said.

Adrien nodded.

“Of course” He smiled.

A beeping suddenly filled the room. Adrien only then noticed that Ladybug’s earrings were down to one spot.”

“Ladybug you have to go.” He pointed out.

“But-” she began to protest, but he shook his head.

“I’ll be fine. Honest. I’m feeling a lot better now, I’m sure I can pick some things up from my house without getting noticed, and head to some place safe, no time. You need to go.” He persisted. Ladybug sighed, but ended up reluctantly agreeing to let him go alone.

“Be safe.” She said, hesitating before giving him a swift kiss to the cheek. With that, she slowly stood up, and ran out of the room, and out of the abandoned building.

Adrien was alone.

But he knew that in his heart, he really wasn’t.

***

Marinette had made it back to her house just before 10pm, slipping in through the balcony before switching back. As soon as she got into her room, she collapsed on the bed.

“I’m a horrible person, Tikki. I watched Chat transform, learned who his secret identity was, watched him almost get akumatized by his maybe-possibly-I don’t even know-dad, and then left him to fend for himself.” She groaned, laying sideways on her bed.

Tikki floated up and laid down next to her.

“But you trust Chat, right? He said he would get somewhere safe, and I’m sure he will!” Tikki replied, optimistically. Marinette sighed, closing her eyes.

At that point, she heard a soft knocking coming from downstairs. Marinette groaned, assuming it might have been some person thinking the bakery was still open. Knowing her parents were probably still asleep, Marinette took it upon herself, to walk down the stairs to the bakery. However, when she got down there, she found that all the lights were on, and both of her parents were sitting at table with someone that she couldn’t see at first.

That was, until he turned around.

“Hi, Marinette.” Adrien said, smiling weakly at her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit later than promised, seems as if AO3 on my computer is having a bit of a fit. 
> 
> But anyway, here is the second chapter! The next one will have a lot of Adrinette getting-to-know-you and the aftermath of the entire situation, so get ready for that!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, I appreciate it very much!
> 
> ~Bonnie


	3. Chapter 3

“H-Hi Adrien.” Marinette sputtered out.

_ What are you doing here? I told you to go to someone you trust, to a safe spot, but I didn’t think, God I didn’t think you’d come here!  _ She wanted to question him about what had happened, about why he was here of all places, instead of with Nino or someone else that he knew better.

Marinette stood paralyzed, unsure of what to do. Adrien had turned back to Sabine and Tom, who were now staring at their daughter.

“Marinette, Adrien is unable to stay at his home tonight, so we offered for him to stay in our living room for the night until he can go back. I assume that is okay with you?” Sabine explained. Marinette was stunned, and now had no idea what to say.

Adrien was staying in her house; Chat would be staying in her house. It was all still too much for Marinette to wrap around her head. The two were always so…. different, for lack of a better word. Adrien was always sweet and kind, but at the same time he was shy, and extremely passive when it came to doing what other people wanted. Chat, on the other hand, was always so loud and punny and flamboyant. He always had a certain spark of energy to him, and had constantly flirted with her as both Marinette and Ladybug. There was no way they could be the same person.

Then again, it’s easy to be someone you aren’t when you’re behind a mask. Marinette certainly wasn’t as confident or cool or graceful as Ladybug, yet they were still the same girl.

Marinette simply nodded her head in response to her parents, turning right around and walking back upstairs. It seemed a bit rude to leave without a word, but it had been a long night, and she couldn’t deal with the situation at hand.

She got into her bed, and stared up at the ceiling.

He came to her house when she said to find someone he trusted. What did that imply? Did that mean Adrien trusted her? Why would he trust a girl he barely knew, let alone one that could barely speak to him without stumbling over both her words and her own feet. She had expected him to go to Nino. They were fairly close friends, and no doubt Nino would let him in and not question him about anything that happened. But her? She was the last person she expected Adrien to go to.

Or was it because he knew that she was Ladybug? Did Adrien somehow figure out her secret in that whole mess and showed up to her?

Either way, Marinette was seriously confused.

So now she had not only that to think about, but the fact that Chat and Adrien had been the same person. She had been crushing on  _ Chat _ .  _ Adrien  _ had been flirting with her.

The “Adrien had been flirting with her” part was getting to her the most. It seemed too surreal, almost too good to be true. Maybe it was a sick joke, maybe the entire night had been a dream that she would soon wake from.

But no, she knew that wasn’t the case. She had been there. Marinette as Ladybug had held her friend for dear life, and she knew that the night’s events were very much real.

Hours passed, and Marinette was still wide eyed and awake, as buzzed as a bee. Marinette had learned so much that she couldn’t help but be anxious to fall asleep.

Tikki flew up to the tired Marinette who was still staring at her ceiling.

“Marinette, you need to go to sleep. It won’t help you tomorrow if you are tired because you didn’t sleep.” Marinette cupped her hands around Tikki, sitting up in her bed.

“I know, it’s just been a lot, you know? And I think he still doesn’t know who I am, yet he came here. It seems like a cruel irony.” She whispered back.

“I think you should sleep on it though. Maybe go get a glass of water from downstairs! It might make you feel better.” Tikki suggested. Marinette nodded, yawning as she stood out of bed. A glass of water did sound nice, and maybe if she moved fast enough she could check up on Adrien and not wake him up.

Carefully and quietly, Marinette made her way down the steps into the kitchen and living room area. From where she was standing, she couldn’t see Adrien, so she figured he was laying down on the couch.

_ Well, at least he can sleep after tonight.  _ Marinette sighed, walking into the kitchen. She opened the cupboard, grabbing a cup and filling it with water from the fridge.

“You can’t sleep either?”

Marinette jumped up, almost screaming before she realized it was the middle of the night. Her cup dropped, but thankfully it wasn’t glass, and the most damage it did was spill water on the floor.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Marinette, I didn’t mean to scare you. Here, I can help.” Adrien said rapidly, grabbing some paper towel from the counter and soaking up the water on the floor quickly. Once it was cleaned, he stood back up, throwing the paper away.

Marinette just stared at him, she had no idea what to say, but she was finally getting a good chance to look at him as Marinette.

For one, he was wrapped up in one of the comforters Sabine and Tom had given him. It was draped around him, and he was holding it together from the inside with his hands. Adrien looked comfortable, cuddled up in the blanket.

_ God, he’s so adorable.  _ Marinette thought, before shooing the thought away. She had to remember that every time she called Adrien adorable, it was Chat.

His hair was disheveled and messy, as if he had just gotten out of bed. For the most part, he looked normal, but Marinette could tell something was… off.

_ Makeup. _

Adrien was wearing makeup. It wasn’t easy to see, but Marinette could almost make out the difference of the concealer and his skin tone on his face. He had used makeup to cover the bruises he had gotten as Adrien when with the Papillon.

It was odd. Marinette had never gotten bruises from being in fights as Ladybug, so she figured that the magic of being Ladybug (and, in turn, Chat Noir) had prevented them from being injured. But then Marinette had remembered that for the most part, Chat had been in the room as Adrien with the Papillon, and Adrien was fully capable of being injured.

Adrien tilted his head, as if waiting for Marinette to say something. Realizing that she had been in a bit of a trance, she shook herself out of it and stared at Adrien.

“So,” Adrien shuffled his feet, but maintained eye contact with Marinette, “You never answered me. You can’t fall asleep either?”

“Oh! Uh- no, I mean, it’s been a long night, and I have a lot on my, uh, my mind.” Marinette replied, mentally face palming herself, as there was no reason to be this nervous around Chat.

“Ah, yeah. I get that.” Adrien said, nodding his head as his eyes drifted off. They both stood in silence until Marinette couldn’t take it. She blurted out the first thing that came into her head.

“Why did you lie to my parents?”

“What?”

_ Whoops, wrong thing to say. _

“Well, I just mean, I’m not implying that you are lying or anything, but by the way they said you had come just because you were unable to stay at home felt like you were… holding something back.”  _ Nice save. _

Adrien chuckled, waddling over in his burrito blanket to sit at the counter.

“Wow, you know I never knew you were good at reading people Marinette!” Adrien said. He had a smile on his face, but Marinette could tell that he was almost forcing it.

Marinette shrugged.

“You learn something new everyday!” It was the only thing she could think of as a response. She knew what had happened to Adrien, but he didn’t know that Marinette knew. Somehow she was going to have to keep a conversation now without bringing anything up about what happened.

Adrien laughed once again at Marinette’s response.

“I suppose you do.”

“So, if you needed someplace to go to be away from home for your mysterious reasons, why here? Why not Nino?” There, a question that seemed reasonable, but not too investigative that it made him close up. Marinette leaning on the counter while Adrien answered.

“Well, a,” Pause, “Friend of mine told me to go someplace safe, but I knew that they would look at Nino’s house first, and I’m not really close to anyone else in class, but I knew that you were nice, and your parents were really kind last time I was here, so I figured this would be the best place to go.”

“Are you running away?”

No response.

“Yes. And no. I just need to get away from my father for a day or two.”

“Ah.”

Silence filled the room. Marinette was very much biting her lip now to prevent herself from saying something that would give away her identity. Thankfully, Adrien broke the silence first.

“Well, I really am grateful that you and your parents are letting me stay here, especially as it’s so last minute, and I suppose pretty vague. Plus, you guys just have a really cozy home.” Adrien noted, looking around and smiling at the surrounding area, “Like, it’s just such a kind atmosphere. You could never change the atmosphere from one of kindness Dupain.” Adrien chuckled.

Marinette tilted her head, it taking her a few seconds to figure out the terrible pun Adrien had just made. When she finally figured it out, she groaned, face palming before letting out a stifled laugh, conscious that her parents were probably fast asleep.

“God, not puns, anything but puns.” Marinette replied, still giggling. When she looked up, Adrien was beaming, obviously very proud of himself. Marinette rolled her eyes, going over to sit next to him.

The conversation seemed to get 10 times more relaxed, and Marinette felt like she was talking to a close friend. (Which, in retrospect, she was. He was just not in a skin tight suit with cat ears like usual)

“See, now you’ve learned something about me. Though I may not show it, I love to make puns. Your turn.” Adrien said. Marinette stopped laughing and took a second to process this. He was building off what she had said earlier, “You learn something new everyday.” Was he trying to play a getting-to-know-you game with her? Either way, she didn’t learn something all that new, but he didn’t know that, so she carried on.

“Um, well, I want to be a fashion designer? Wait no, you probably already know that from when you saw my sketchbook and when I made the hat for your-” She was going to say dad, but figured that would be a bad idea, “Photoshoot. So I guess that doesn’t count.”

“No, no it’s fine! What do you like about designing?”

Marinette looked to Adrien, and found he was already looking at her, genuinely interested in the topic.

“Ah, well I really like to be creative. I like having the ability to have an idea of something in my mind, and have the ability to make it in the real world. It’s fun to have my own style and uniqueness in clothing because I’ve designed them all, or at least altered them with designs to make them my own. And after a ton of hard work, it’s really satisfying to be able to look at and use something that you put so much effort into.” Marinette explained. It was really hard to explain what had drawn her to fashion and designing, but that was the best thing she could come up with.

Adrien was grinning.

“I think that’s really sweet. And you’re obviously very talented.” He replied. Marinette’s heart fluttered. It was still odd to think that she was in her kitchen in the middle of the night talking small talk to her crush and partner after a night like they had experienced.

“Thank you. I suppose it’s your turn to share something?” She said. Adrien looked down, trying to think of something.

“Hm. Well, even though I’m a model, I don’t think I want to do it as a job. First and foremost when I get out of schooling, I want to travel to someplace exciting, maybe go to China, as I’ve been learning Chinese for years. Then I’ll probably come back to Paris and find a job that I enjoy.” Adrien explained.

Now that was new. Marinette had never questioned why Adrien did modeling. She always figured that he did it because he wanted to do it for a job, but she supposed that it was something that his dad made him do.

She couldn’t imagine what those years would be like if Adrien went off to China. She’d be left alone patrolling the Parisian streets, with no Chat Noir to keep her company.

_ I wonder if he would ever tell this to Ladybug. Would he tell his partner if he was leaving her alone for years?  _ Marinette questioned.

But it made sense that he’d want to leave Paris. If she had his father, and had just found out that her father was possibly her worst enemy, she’d want to get as far away as possible from him as well.

“That sounds amazingly fun.” Marinette noted.

“Yeah, it does. I hope I get to do that someday, but I don’t know.” Adrien shrugged, almost as if already planning that he wouldn’t be able to do that.

“I’m sure you will. Everyone has a stroke of luck, and maybe yours will be a surprise trip around the world.” Marinette replied. Adrien smiled, but it was almost as if he knew it was never going to happen and he was just accepting the fact.

“Right. Good luck.” He replied, though she swore she could hear him mutter, “I’ve been having a  _ surprising  _ lack of that lately.” under his breath.

Changing the subject, Marinette shared her next fact.

Half an hour later, the two were in the living room, Adrien lying on the couch and Marinette sitting on the floor. They had raided the fridge and were currently eating an array of sweets while talking.

“I’m just saying, if he was really the villain of the series, they wouldn’t have given him a shot at redemption. They made him a good guy in the end, which obviously means there was good in him the whole time.” Marinette stated. The two were talking about a recent game that had come out, the last in its series, and how it had ended.

“But he still did really horrible things. Being good in the end doesn’t excuse one from their actions in the past. Sure, he got redemption, but that doesn’t fix the fact that he ruined an entire planet's economic system.” Adrien pointed out. Marinette rolled her eyes, laughing. They had such different views of this villain, which she found so odd considering that they spent nearly every day fighting villains together.

Adrien yawned, curling up in his blanket.

“We should probably get some sleep. We do have school in the morning.” Marinette said in response. Adrien nodded, yawning again. Marinette stood up to leave.

“Marinette, we should talk more often at school. This was really fun.” Adrien said quietly. Marinette smiled.

“Yeah, that’d be great!” She responded. Marinette quickly began cleaning up after the mess her and Adrien had made. By the time she was done, Adrien already seemed asleep. As Marinette began climbing the stairs to her room, she paused.

“Stay safe.” She said. Even if Adrien was asleep, it made her more comfortable saying it aloud, as if her words could automatically make him safe from the Papillon.

In a lower voice she whispered, “Goodnight Chat.” And began walking up the stairs.

She was greeted by Tikki right away.

“You certainly were gone a long time. Were you talking with Adrien?” Tikki asked. Marinette nodded.

“Yeah. It was nice. I think I got to know him a bit better as Adrien now. I mean, I really thought I knew both Chat and Adrien so well, but now, I’m not really sure. There seems to be so much more that he seems to hide about himself.” Marinette said, getting ready to fall asleep herself.

“Oh, and Tikki, could you wake me up a bit early tomorrow? I have a letter I need to write.” Marinette mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for filler chapters! Honestly I have no idea how good it is but the filler is kind of leading up to the next chapter, which should be exciting!
> 
> Thank you the people who have commented and left kudos on the previous chapters, they really give me the motivation to continue on with this story! 
> 
> ~Bonnie


	4. Chapter Four PART ONE

Adrien didn’t want to wake up that morning. 

Initially, Adrien didn’t even want to fall asleep. Ever since the encounter with the Papillon, he had worried that if he fell asleep, he would be plagued with nightmares.

Sure, Adrien had experienced his fair share of nightmares before. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle, but the fact that he had just been attacked by his enemy, then found out that said enemy was his father, breeding him to become an akuma, was a bit scaring. That, and the fact that he had taken Adrien’s miraculous while he was Chat Noir. As Adrien hadn’t seen any sign of Plagg since before he transformed the day before, he figured Plagg was stuck with Papillon as well.

Without his miraculous and Plagg, Adrien was left powerless.

And scared.

He was scared that the Papillon was now going to do something with his miraculous, he was scared that now he couldn’t do anything and was also probably going to be a target for his own father's attacks.

Adrien thought that those feelings would seep into his dreams, that he would have to relive the night's events in his mind.

He didn’t want to fall asleep.

But then, it changed. He had shown up at Marinette’s. Adrien questioned what drew him to stay there. He didn’t know Marinette all that well. They never really talked, and when they did, Marinette seemed to be flustered and awkward. Yet, he showed up there.

Maybe it was because he remembered how nice he had felt last time he was there. Marinette’s parents were so kind, and they had such a nice home that seemed to radiate with kindness. Adrien started to wonder if he chose to go to Marinette’s because it was what he wished he has as a house. Two, caring parents who made an attempt to care for their child, a warm home where everyone seemed to be smiling. It was so unlike the home Adrien was used to. Large, empty halls, people who took care of you but didn’t really care for you, parents who were either missing or had no time to take care of you.

That night, Adrien lost the one thing that he had considered as home. His family, or what was left of it. Even though his father had been so distant, Adrien still considered him family. But now, he was left alone, and Adrien ran to the place that he wished was his home.

That was what Adrien decided was his reasoning of showing up.

So he got to Marinette’s, and for a long while, he stayed up. Adrien didn’t want to sleep and relieve bad memories. But then Marinette came down, and they talked. They talked for nearly an hour, and Adrien forgot all about his worries for that short while.

Adrien noticed that Marinette wasn’t as fidgety as she usually was. Instead, she was talking with him like she would any of her other friends. Adrien learned that Marinette had very strong opinions about things, and that she was very passionate about those things that she cared about. She could also be a bit sassy, and said things right as they came to her mind.

As he got to know her, Adrien realized that he didn’t really know Marinette at all, but he was glad to learn. She treated him as a friend, not as some model or some picture-perfect classmate. Adrien really appreciated that.

Talking to her about their individual interests had put his mind at ease, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

And now, he didn’t want to wake up.

He was tired. Adrien hadn’t realized how late he had been up and how little sleep he got until he was being lightly shaken. Adrien woke up, but just ended up closing his eyes tighter, hissing as he curled up into a ball in his blanket.

“Wow, what a polite way to treat someone who let you stay in their house overnight.” A sarcastic voice said from above. Adrien groaned, rubbing his eyes before opening them. Standing in front of the couch staring at him was Marinette, already dressed for the day and with her backpack in one hand.

“Wake up sleepyhead, we have school in a bit. There’s some stuff to make cereal on the counter if you want anything” Marinette said, setting her backpack down on one of the chairs before heading back up to her room. Adrien sighed, sitting up on the couch. He took the blanket off, carefully folding it up before he went to make his breakfast.

After folding up his blankets, Adrien noticed a small piece of paper on the ground by his feet. Curious, he picked it up, unfolding it.

_ CN, _

_ Meet me after school in the park. We need to work out a plan to get your Miraculous back. _

_ LB _

_ P.s.- I’m glad you found somewhere safe to stay. Make sure to be on the lookout for you-know-who. Stay Safe _

Adrien stared at the note.

“Ladybug was here? How did she-” Adrien stopped thinking out loud.

‘Stay Safe’

He had heard that before. Last night.

Adrien remembered. He had been fallen asleep, but the noise of someone moving had woken him up. He didn’t open his eyes, but simply listened. He could tell that Marinette wasn’t by him anymore, she must have gone to bed.

“Stay safe.” a voice said. Then, in a quieter tone, it followed up. “Goodnight Chat.” Then there was a slight creaking sound, as if someone was walking upstairs.

Adrien set down the note, looking behind him.

There, the stairs to Marinette’s room.

_ Could she? Could it be that Marinette is- no no, that doesn’t make since. Marinette can’t be Ladybug. They’re too-  _ he was about to think ‘different’, but that couldn’t be right. Adrien had spent a good hour talking to Marinette, and realized that she was more confident, and passionate about the things she liked.

Was that not unlike Ladybug?

But Adrien shook the idea off. Marinette couldn’t be Ladybug. Somehow, Ladybug must have gotten into the bakery, and left the note for Adrien then. That had to be it. There was no way that the girl who sat behind him in his classes was the same girl that he was head-over-heels in love with.

Adrien stood up, walking over to the kitchen. Like Marinette had said, there was a box of cereal, a bowl, a spoon, and some milk sitting on the counter. Drowsily, Adrien put together the breakfast, putting the milk in the fridge and the cereal back on the counter.

As Adrien started eating the food, Marinette walked back down the steps, now with her purse on her shoulder and a sketchbook under her arm. She went over and sat next to Adrien, setting her stuff in front of her.

“Sleep well?” She asked, rummaging through her purse before pulling out her phone. Adrien shrugged.

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep half bad. You?” He responded. She grinned.

“I actually slept pretty well.” Marinette replied. Adrien nodded.

“Fantastic.” He paused. “Did you, hear anyone enter the building last night?”

Marinette looked as if she had choked on her own spit and was about to drop her phone.  _ Probably not the best thing to ask someone in their own house. _

“No, why? Did you?” She sputtered out, looking at him with wide eyes. He swallowed a spoonful of cereal before responding.

“Oh, uh, no! No, I didn’t, I just, uh, found something, and I guess it was there the entire time and I just didn't notice it!”  _ Great job of being vague. _

Marinette closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, okay. Yeah, no, I’m sure there was no one in the house then.” She replied, quickly checking her phone. Adrien had finished eating, and set his bowl in the sink as Marinette typed away on her phone.

“Who are you talking to?” Adrien asked.

“Alya, she’s telling me to check the news, but she won’t tell me why. I have to assume that it has to do with Ladybug.” Marinette answered, her eyes on her phone.

“I’m sure she’ll tell you at school.” Adrien replied. Sure, he was curious about what it could be, but Alya was certain to recap it at school anyway, so he figured they might as well wait. Marinette nodded, putting her phone back in her purse, looking up at him.

“The bathroom is over there, I recommend you freshen up a bit before we head off.” Marinette said quietly. Adrien nodded, walking over to where Marinette was pointing. When he walked in after grabbing his bag, Adrien realized why she had noted that. Not only was his hair a mess, but his makeup was starting wear off. Adrien could see spots where his bruises were becoming visible. Adrien dug through his bag, pulling out some concealer and quickly putting it on to cover his face. He then brushed his hair, and put on a fresh change of clothing before exiting the bathroom.Waiting in the living room was Marinette, her bag slung over her shoulder and purse at her side.

“Ready to go?” She asked as she opened the door to the stairwell. Adrien smiled.

“As I’ll ever be.”

The two made their way down to the bakery, where a good few people were in getting their morning cups of coffee and pastries.

“Bye mom, bye dad!” Marinette called, waving to her parents as her and Adrien left the building.

They began walking towards the school, which was a very short trip. Adrien noticed, however, that people were staring at him. It wasn’t that odd, he supposed. His face was all over Paris, but these stares weren’t those of people who were looking at someone famous. They were looking at him with… concern? Fear? Adrien couldn’t quite place why they staring, but it was unnerving to him.

Adrien glanced over to Marinette, who he noticed was also staring at him. She jumped when Adrien looked at her, and looked forward, blushing.

“So, how are you doing?” She asked him.

“I don’t know. I can’t help but feel that people are staring at us?” Adrien noted. Marinette nodded, looking around.

“Yeah, I was thinking that too. Let’s just keep moving, the school is right up here.” Marinette said, walking a bit faster, Adrien doing the same.

They travelled in silence towards the school. As they approached it, and entered, walking to class, Adrien stopped. Marinette kept walking for a bit before she noticed he had stopped, and turned to look at him.

“I just wanted to say thanks again for letting me stay with you and your parents. I really appreciate it.” Adrien said. Marinette smiled.

“Any time!” She replied, practically glowing. Adrien still wondered if she could be Ladybug. The way she smiled reminded him so much of his partner, but Adrien had no way to know.

The two of them entered the classroom. Adrien took his seat, noticing Alya gaping, looking between him and Marinette. Nino wasn’t in the classroom yet, so Adrien listened in on the conversation between Alya and Marinette.

“You walked to school with Adrien?”

“... Yeah. Why?”

“Girl, you have a lot of explaining to do. Where did you guys meet? How did you two end up walking together?”

“We just happened to enter the classroom at the same time.”  _ She was covering for him. Trying to hide that he wasn’t at home. _

“The way you were smiling? I doubt it.”

“Alya!”

“Well, no matter what the situation is between you and your new  _ buddy  _ Adrien, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes right now.”

“What? Why?”

“Did you watch the news like I told you to?”

“Well, uh no? I was.. busy.”

“Busy with Adrien?”

“Please just continue!”

“Marinette, Adrien’s dad called the cops reporting him missing. There are search parties all over Paris looking for him.”

The blood drained from Adrien’s face. He noticed then how silent the classroom was, and when he glanced around, everyone was looking right at him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Adrien is slowly putting together who his Lady might be....
> 
> Hey guys! So this chapter is split into two parts, mainly for length reasons and making sure the chapters don't grow to be too long. The second part should be up in a few hours, so I won't make you guys wait too long. Meanwhile, part one here is some calm before the storm as the angst returns for part two with some father-son interactions and planning between Ladybug and Adrien.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading again. After last chapter this story reached over 1000 reads and 100 kudos, which is absolutely amazing! I never would have thought that so many people would enjoy this story! All of the comments are so positive and kind and honestly they make my day. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who is reading, I don't think I can possibly put into words my appreciation for you all! Love you guys, and hope you enjoy Part One of this chapter! Part two up in a few <3
> 
> ~Bonnie


	5. Finale

Adrien turned his head forward upon realizing that everyone was looking at him, staring down in front of him so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. 

His dad reported him missing.

Adrien was confused. He had always figured that his dad didn’t care enough about him and his well being to bother finding him if he went missing. Then Adrien realized; his dad didn’t care about his well being, Gabriel Agreste only cared about finding Adrien for his own benefits. Gabriel couldn’t risk to lose his most valuable money making model and face of his company, and he couldn’t just let Chat Noir run around with the knowledge that Gabriel Agreste was the Papillon.

Just then, the teacher walked in. Usually, this would prompt silence among students, but the classroom was already quiet. A few students whispered among each other, pointing over to where Adrien sat, but other than that everyone was too stunned to say anything.

The teacher was off as well. As she took her seat at her desk, her eyes remained glued on Adrien.

“Class, today we will be doing research papers as planned. Please make sure you have the proper books and websites to use for reference by today. You may begin now.” The teacher announced, looking at the room as a whole, but constantly glancing over to Adrien.

All of his classmates cautiously pulled out their tablets and any books they had to begin researching their individual topics. Adrien did the same, but couldn’t focus as everyone was looking at him. If anyone was talking, they were talking about him.

_ Why do you think he’d run away? _

_ He had a perfect life, he had no reason to run away. _

_ He probably scared his father to death. All for what, to be rebellious? _

_ I only wish I was famous and rich like him, if I had his life I’d never leave. _

_ Why’d he come to school today? Is he asking to get caught? _

_ Honestly, it was probably all just a statement. _

_ Do you think it was a promotional stunt? _

_ Adrien was the last person I thought would do that. _

Adrien gritted his teeth. Everyone seemed to think that he couldn’t hear them, but he could hear all of their thoughts. He gripped his pencil, trying his best not to lose his temper. None of them understood. None of them truly understood what Adrien had to go through,  _ everything  _ he had gone through. No one had a father like his, no one knew how heart crushingly lonely he was all the time, no one seemed to understand that his life was probably a thousand times worse than any of theirs.

It wasn’t fair. They all thought that he should be happy in life because he has money.

No one understood that money couldn’t buy happiness.

Except one person.

Marinette.

Marinette kept telling people to stop talking about Adrien. Everytime Adrien glanced behind him, she was glaring at people who were whispering about him, shutting them up. She was standing up for him, when he was being too passive to do so. 

Adrien knew then, that she was a friend.

At that moment, Adrien noticed that someone slid into the seat next to him where Nino usually sat. He looked over to see Chloe taking a seat next to him. She was grinning at him, leaning over and placing her head on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes, slightly trying to shove her off, but she gripped her hands on Adrien’s bicep, meaning she wasn’t going away anytime soon.

Adrien sighed. “Hey Chloe.”

“Oh, Adrien! Are you okay? I can’t believe you actually ran away! You should have came to my house, you know I wouldn’t have told anyone. But no matter, you can tell me everything now, because you can tell me anything Adrien. And also-” Adrien didn’t hear anything beyond that. He began just tuning her out. He didn’t have time for Chloe, whose words he knew had no care, no substance behind them. They were just empty words she was using to get close to him.

Adrien just lost himself in his own thoughts, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Adrien turned around, Chloe falling off of his shoulder and almost hitting her head on the desk. There, Marinette had a look of urgency on her face as she looked him in the eye.

“Adrien, your dad, he’s-” She choked up, not able to finished her sentence, but she gestured over to the window. Adrien quickly stood up, surprising everyone else in the class, as he looked out the window. There, he saw his dad approaching the school, the Gorilla and a bunch of policemen following him.

_ Of course, of course someone would see him and alert the cops. Of course his dad would show up. Of course this had to happen to him. _

“Excuse me, can I use the bathroom?” Adrien asked loudly. The teacher, took a deep breath, glancing out the window.

“I don’t know if, I mean if you could just wait a-”

“Please Miss, it’s an emergency. I’ll be right back.” Adrien replied. Without waiting for her to say anything, Adrien ran out of the classroom.

The first thought that came to his head was to transform, but then he remembered the absence of both his miraculous and Plagg. He’d have to think his way out of this one as Adrien.

Hearing the doors of the school open, Adrien ran into one of the empty classrooms. He hid under the teacher's desk, pulling in the chair to make it seem as if there was no one there. The lights were out, and although he had the door closed, he could hear the noises coming from outside.

“Oh, hello Mr. Agreste.”

“Yes, hello. We got a call saying that my son showed up to the school today?”

“He did, yes. He just went off to the bathroom.”

“Thank you.”

Adrien listened as there were more footsteps and a door closing. The footsteps grew louder as they passed the room Adrien was hiding in, and faded as they left towards the bathroom.

“You go and check the bathroom.” Gabriel ordered someone to do, probably one of the cops.

A minute passed by. Adrien sat panicked in the room. He couldn’t make a sound, for risk of getting caught. It wouldn’t take long for his father to realize that he wasn’t in the bathroom and was hiding somewhere else in the school.

As he awaited the inevitable, Adrien put his hands in his pockets to see if he had his phone with him. Maybe if he did he could text someone in his class to make a distraction for his father so that Adrien could slip out of the school. Unfortunately, Adrien found that he didn’t have his phone with him. He emptied the contents of his pockets, and only found one thing; Marinette’s lucky charm.

Adrien held it in his hands, staring at it for a bit. The same lucky charm that had absorbed the akuma only the night before, allowing Adrien to almost be akumatized. Adrien winced just thinking about it. It was hard to believe that it had only been a night ago.

Adrien questioned the small charm. He hadn’t given it much thought since it was given to him, and yet it was always there, in his pocket. Adrien just never took it out, and he never felt the need to either. It was a nice, thoughtful gift from a friend, so he saw no reason to drop it in a drawer somewhere, just to forget about it in a few days.

To be honest, Adrien wasn’t thinking the lucky charm was granting him much luck lately. His father was revealed to be evil, he had to run away from home, and now he was hiding under a desk to hide from a bunch of cops who thought he was a runaway.

But, then again, it had brought him to her.

Adrien had somehow, after a terrible night, found himself at Marinette’s house, talking forever about their interests and just having fun, like friends. She didn’t try to press any information out of him, just treated him like a friend. Anyone else he knew would try to pressure him into sharing why he ran away, but she didn’t.

Maybe that was the luck of the charm, it brought him to a true friend.

Adrien was looking at the charm when he realized how utterly uncomfortable sitting under a desk was. His back was aching and his neck was in an uncomfortable position against the roof of the desk. Adrien figured there couldn’t be much harm in readjusting himself to make it more comfortable.

Adrien put his hands to the ground to plant himself, shifting his body slightly. However, one of Adrian's arms slipped, causing him to whack his head into the side of the desk, sending an echoing sound throughout the room, and into the hallway.

All noises from the hallway stopped. Footsteps approached the door to the classroom he was in.

“Shit.” Adrien whispered to himself, trying to make sure he was as hidden as possible while holding his head, which was now throbbing with pain.

“Sir, I didn’t find him in the bathroom!” A policeman called.

“That’s fine sir, I believe I have just found my son.” A familiar voice replied.

Adrien could hear as the door creaked open, and as shoes rang against the wood flooring of the classroom. The door slammed shut, but the lights remained off.

“Adrien, come out from wherever you are hiding. End this childish game and just come home.”

_ Going with you isn’t home. _

“So you aren’t going to respond? Find, sobeit.” Gabriel Agreste began pacing in the room.

“Honestly, why do you have to be such a pain? How can you not realize that me having the miraculouses is for the best? Our family, our family could be a family again. You are the one preventing that right now!” Gabriel shouted. Adrien didn’t dare move a muscle.

_ You broke our family. _

_ Even after she disappeared, you didn’t have to change like you did. _

_ You could have still been a father. _

“Adrien, this is idiotic. Come out of your hiding spot. You forget that I know your secret now. I could tell the whole of Paris that you’re Chat Noir. Yes, that sounds nice. Im sure the news stations would very much appreciate finding a tip on their desk informing them that you have been frolicing around Paris in a cat suit.

But, that doesn’t have to happen. You can come out right now and there doesn’t have to be any complications.”

Silence.

“God, so you have to play this game? Fine, play this game. But I could always give you your miraculous back. We could always work together to bring her back. Together, father and son, we could have it all, if you just cooperate and help me!”

_ Like I’d work with a monster like you. _

“ADRIEN AGRESTE, GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW. END THIS. I knew it was a bad decision to let you go to public school. Look what it’s done to you. It’s destroyed you. You have turned into a coward and a pain in my ass. You are no son of mine.”

Adrien had to choke back shouting at him. He so desperately wanted to respond.

_ You’ve never been there for me. Why would I want family like you? _

“So you’re still persistent? Fine, if I can’t get anything out from you, maybe I need to have a talk with your friend. What’s her name? Marinette, that’s right. Sweet girl. It’d be a shame if something were to happen to her.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. He clenched his fists shut.

_ “You wouldn’t dare.”  _ Adrien hissed.

Gabriel chuckled, taking slow steps in the direction of the desk.

“What? You didn’t think I knew that you were staying in her house yesterday? That she was  **helping** you? Yes, she is lovely. Her parents own a beautiful bakery. It’s just a shame, I heard that this time of year there’s a tendency for house fires.”

That was the final straw.

Adrien stood up from his hiding place. Gabriel smiled sickly.

“There you are, my boy.” He said, outstretching his arms, as if gesturing for a hug. Adrien growled, his mouth twisted into a snarl. He approached his father, staring him down.

“If you hurt my friends, so help me I’ll-”

“You’ll what? You’re coming with me, now.” Gabriel grabbed Adriens arm, keeping a tight grip on it. Pain shot through Adrien’s arm as he was dragged out of the classroom.

“I’ve found him. You are all dismissed.” Gabriel snapped. The police looked as if they wanted further word, but instead just stood there gaping as Gabriel pulled Adrien out to the car.

The whole drive back to his house, Adrien began hatching a plan. He had to find a way out as soon as he could.

The car pulled up to the Agreste estate. Adrien figured now was his chance, that he could make a run from it. As soon as the car stopped, Adrien rushed to the doors, frantically trying to open it. Gabriel just laughed at the boys futile attempts.

“Nice try, but it won’t be that easy.” Gabriel said, getting out of the car first, and opening the door to Adrien’s side only once Gabriel was standing there, ready once again to grab Adrien’s arm.

No matter how hard Adrien pulled, Gabriel's grip on him remained strong. They made it all the way to Adrien’s bedroom, where Gabriel tossed him in.

“You won't be leaving this bedroom again unless you are under my supervision!” Gabriel shouted, slamming the door closed. Adrien immediately ran to open it, but it was locked from the outside. Adrien groaned, falling to the floor as he put his face in his hands.

Adrien didn’t bother to try and entertain himself. He felt too sick to his stomach to even do anything. His door opened a few times, once to drop off his backpack, and another time to drop off food for dinner.

Adrien didn’t touch the food.

It was getting later and later, and Adrien was now unpacking his backpack to entertain himself. His father had taken his phone out of his bag, and his computer had (conveniently) broken before Adrien got there. He was going to go insane without anyone to talk to. Even without electronics, he usually at least had Plagg, but even his friend was gone now.

While digging through his bag, Adrien noticed a piece of paper sticking out of one of his books.

_ “ _ Ladybug’s note!” Adrien exclaimed, standing up and he unfolded the letter once again. He figured whoever did a cleanout of his bag hadn’t been fairly thorough.

He stared at Ladybug’s neat, swirly handwriting. Adrien still questioned how she had gotten into Marinette’s home, if she wasn’t Marinette (which he refused to believe.)

Just as he was reading over the letter, wondering how he was going to meet up with Ladybug, Adrien noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He whipped around, only to see that his window had been opened. He glanced around, seeing if something or someone had gotten in through the window.

Upon finding nothing, Adrien turned back to the note, only to see a small, bright red ladybug crawling across Ladybug’ words. Adrien’s eyes widened.

_ This has to be a sign. _

Immediately, an idea popped into Adrien’s mind.

A few hours later, Adrien took a deep breath, walking over to his door. He knocked on it a few times. The door creaked open, revealing the Gorilla to be standing there, his usual empty expression on his face. Next to him was a new bodyguard, one that Adrien hadn’t met before.

“Can I go to the kitchen to get a drink? I’m parched.”

The new bodyguard glanced over to the Gorilla before answering.

“I can go get you something. I don't think you should-”

“It’ll only take a second, I swear!” Adrien promised, tumbling past the two guards and going down to the kitchen. He waited in the kitchen for a minute to see if the guard would come looking for him, but Adrien figured that as he wasn’t coming, as the guard still hadn’t arrived, and probably wasn’t all that invested in his job.

From the kitchen, Adrien cut through one of the back hallways of the house, where his father’s office was.

Adrien had never been in his dad’s office. He had always been told it was off limits, so he never dared go back there.

It was plain. The walls were a beige color, and the floors a dark, dusty hardwood. In the middle of the room was a large, oak desk with files and papers neatly stacked on it. There were pictures on the walls, only a few, but they were there.

Adrien noticed one of the pictures specifically; The one next to his dad’s desk. Adrien choked up when he saw it.

It was of him and his mom, the last photo they had taken together before she up and vanished.

Adrien wanted to take it off the wall, have it for himself, spend the rest of the night staring at it and reminiscing about how wonderful life had been back then, but he had no time to do so. Currently, he had one goal; find his ring, find Plagg, and get out. There was no time to remember the past when the present was at stake.

Adrien began rummaging through his father's drawers. Most of them were filled with concept designs for outfits and notes about photoshoots, but that didn’t stop Adrien.

However, as he got to the final two drawers, he found nothing. Adrien sighed, wondering what to do next. That’s when he noticed it.

Adrien saw a small, locked drawer right at the lip of the desk. Adrien got under the desk (it was becoming a habit for him, apparently) and began feeling around. At first, he found nothing, but soon, he felt his fingers pass a small bump in the wood. He pressed it, and there was a distinct  _ click  _ sound as the drawer opened. Adrien smiled, standing up to look in the drawer.

As soon as he did, a flying black blob rammed right into his face.

“THERE you are Adrien! Took you long enough!” Plagg complained, immediately going into Adrien’s shirt pocket like usual. Usually this behavior would annoy Adrien, but now it just made him smile.

“It’s nice to have you back too, Plagg.” Adrien grinned. Adrien looked through the drawer and eventually found his silver ring. He happily swiped it up, putting it in his pocket.

“Now let’s go kid, before Mr. Evil Dad finds you here.” Plagg exclaimed. Adrien nodded his head, closing the drawer.

He started to leave the room, but paused once again to look at the pictures. He smiled, remembering each individual memory that went with them.

Trips to the park for ice cream, exploring the city streets of Paris, going out to eat on special holidays, birthday parties full of joy and hope.

He missed those days.

But those days were gone. And there was no getting them back.

Just then, Adrien was spun around by his shoulders.

“What are you doing in here?” His father snapped, glaring at Adrien. Adrien stuttered, he could barely get his words out.

“I was just, uh, I mean I just came to-” Gabriel rolled his eyes as he brought Adrien back up to his room.

“Incompetent bodyguards. They should know better than to trust you running off.” Gabriel muttered, obviously just plain annoyed with Adrien at this point.

By the time Adrien was back locked up in his room, he felt as if he was going to have a heart attack. He was almost caught.

Keyword;  _ Almost _ .

Because there he was, kwami with him and miraculous in pocket. It almost seemed too good to be true.

Adrien slipped on the ring, it’s cold exterior adding a sense of comfort to his hands.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Adrien said. Plagg understood, and before he knew it, there was a flash of light, and Adrien was Chat Noir again. He took a deep breath, relaxing.

He felt free.

Chat picked up his bag, and jumped out of his window.

The streets of Paris were cold that night, but Adrien didn’t get a damn. It felt nice. Comforting. As Chat Noir he could run away from his problems. He didn’t have to worry about being Adrien at that moment.

He hopped from building to building, streets rushing past as he took in thoughts of the night. A lot of things had happened, and he still had no idea why it all had to happen to him.

While practically drowning in his own thoughts, a voice caused him to halt where he was.

“Chat?”

Chat turned around, to see Ladybug running toward him. She tackled him in a hug, causing the two of them to fall down on the roof of the building. Chat laughed, hugging her back.

“Miss me, bugaboo?”

Ladybug tightened her hug.

“You scare me, you know? You need to stop scaring me.”

Chat grinned widely.

“I can try, but what can I say, I seem to attract all the bad luck around here.”

Ladybug laughed, releasing her hug. Neither of them bothered getting up though. They stayed, backs on the roof as they looked up at the Parisian night sky. The stars were out, and the two of them were content with just looking at the stars and doing nothing else. Silence seemed to be the best fitting for the situation.

Chat began wondering what he was going to do next. He couldn’t go back home, but he had nowhere else to go.

At that moment, he felt something slip into his hand. He looked over to his right, only to see that Ladybug had put her hand in his, although she was still looking up at the sky. Chat grinned, but Ladybug seemed to have an expression of melancholy.

He broke the silence.

“Will I ever know who you are?”

“Maybe.”

“Can’t you tell me?”

“It’d be dangerous.”

“You know who I am.”

“And look where that got us.”

“Good point.”

Silence, once again. It was Ladybug who spoke up this time.

“I hope you know that you're one of my best friends.I really care about you.”

“Of course, my Lady.”

“I’m being serious. I’m scared for you now. Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know.”

“See? That’s exactly it. Because of all this now you have nowhere to go. God, this is all my fault.”

Chat sat up, still holding Ladybug’s hand. He stared at her until she turned her head to look at him.

“Don’t you dare blame this on yourself.”

“How can I not?” She responded, sitting up. The two were now facing each other. Chat sat in silence. He had nothing else to say. He sighed, closing his eyes.

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I know that you’ll be there. You’re my partner, and knowing you, Ladybug, you can find a way to fix any problem.” Chat said reassuringly.

“So we’ll always be there for each other? Even when things suck, like right now?”

“Always, my Lady.”

“Then let’s fix things, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it; The End.
> 
> I left it as a fairly open ending. Does Ladybug reveal she is Marinette? Does Adrien figure it out on his own? How will the two of them deal with the new information each of them has learned? And most importantly; where will they go next in life? How will they move on?
> 
> I left that up to the reader. Life has a lot of questions, and a lot of different outcomes, and I feel as if it's nice that the readers can imagine where the characters would go next in this crazy journey of life. 
> 
> Honest, this story was a blast to write. It's the first long fanfic I've written in ages, and for it to get such a positive response is mind blowing. Everyone who has commented and left kudos has made me feel a lot more confident about posting my writing, and I can't wait to continue writing for this glorious fandom. 
> 
> I have a few plans for new fanfics in mind, a lot of AUs and a lot of one shots, so don't think that this is the last you've seen of me ;)
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this story. 
> 
> ~Bonnie


	6. An Epilogue of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot can happen in two years. 
> 
> People around you change. The city streets grow darker, and hold more memories than before. It changes your perception of the things around you. Instead of feeling the happiness in those streets, you only begin to associate them with the pain you remember them holding. 
> 
> A lot can happen in two years. Adrien learned that the hard way. 
> 
> You can lose a family. You can gain a new one. You can adventure to places you never thought you'd go, and you can be plagued by nightmares of your past.
> 
> You'll never forget the past.
> 
> A lot can happen in two years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHOSE BACK (back again, this story's back, tell a friend)
> 
> Yes! After many comments about the ending, I have decided to add a bit of an epilogue as to the things that happened after the events of the story. It's not a full blown conclusion like some of you might want, but I am currently working on many ML fanfics right now that I think you'll love, and I just wanted to add a bit more closure on this story.

Two years. 

A lot can happen in two years. 

People around you change. The city streets grow darker, and hold more memories than before. It changes your perception of the things around you. Instead of feeling the happiness in those streets, you only begin to associate them with the pain you remember them holding. 

A lot can happen in two years. Adrien learned that the hard way. 

You can lose a family. You can gain a new one. You can adventure to places you never thought you'd go, and you can be plagued by nightmares of your past.

You'll never forget the past.

A lot can happen in two years. 

***

Adrien woke up that night. His breathing was heavy, and he was drenched in sweat. He frantically looked around the room. 

_It's okay, you're home now. You don't need to worry about the him. He's not here._

This wasn't the first time Adrien had nightmares about that dreadful month after he found out his dad was the Papillon. In fact, almost every night was a reminder of the things that had happened to him. No matter how much he tried, how many times he had talked to his friends, Adrien couldn't find a way to let go of the memories of that month. 

Adrien sat up in bed, placing his head in his hands. Breath in, breath out. As simple as that. He got up, heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the house as he made his way to the kitchen, breaking the silence of the night. 

Two years ago exactly. Adrien couldn't forget the date. 

Everything seemed to go by so fast at the time. When he had first found out his dad was the Papillon, he couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. It all seemed too fake, like it was some sort of dream. It was only when he, as Chat Noir, had spent the night staring at the stars with Ladybug that it all came into place. His dad was Papillon. That was a real thing that had happened to him. As if losing his mom, being neglected by his dad, and doing work that he didn't enjoy wasn't enough, Adrien's own father had to be the person he was fighting the entire time. It seemed like the world was playing a cheap trick on him. 

Adrien disappeared for a bit after that night. He had hid in various place during the daytime, and at night, he met with Ladybug as they came up with a plan to capture the Papillon. At first, talking about his father like a villain was hard. It made Adrien uncomfortable, but that feeling numbed after a while. It became like they were planning to defeat just another akuma. 

Adrien had to keep low for about 3 days, but miraculously wasn't found in any of the places he had been hiding.

On that third day, Ladybug and him were to execute the plan.

It was simple, really. Tell the police that they had found out who Papillon was, get them to surround the Agreste mansion, Ladybug and Chat Noir would attack Gabriel Agreste, and the police would come in to capture him, Chat would run up to his room, detransform, and come out as Adrien in a panic as if worried by all the noise. After that, they would work out what to do legally for the crimes Gabriel had committed to the city of Paris.

The plan seemed simple enough, and, for the most part, it went well. Gabriel had been in his office awake, but Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to catch him off guard. Before he could transform, the two of them took his miraculous, leaving Gabriel as himself to fend against two superheroes. Soon enough, he was in custody. However, the part of the plan to get to Adrien's room didn't go quite as planned. When they got their, the police immediately started searching the house for all staff and people in it. They were worried that the people at the mansion knew about Gabriel being Papillon, and that included Adrien. Ladybug had held them off from searching the room long enough for Chat to slip away and detransform, but it was an extremely close call, and the police immediately took Adrien in to question him.

They spent hours asking Adrien if he knew his dad was Papillon. Of course, Adrien denied it, but they kept persisting. They were near convinced that Adrien had maybe been helping his father with the whole scheme. It took hours of interrogation for them to finally believe Adrien. The breaking point was when they asked about motives, as they asked what the motives were. 

"Were you helping your father to get your mother back, possibly?" The police officer asked over and over. That broke Adrien. He started crying. He didn't want his dad to be evil. Adrien knew the disappearance of his mom had hurt his dad, but he didn't know that his dad would turn to evil because of it. Adrien began crying because he missed his family. He missed having a real family.

The police let him go after that.

He was supposed to sleep in the station that night, but he didn't get any sleep.

The Gabriel brand collapsed within a matter of days. The property of Gabriel's old house was claimed by the government, although Adrien was allowed to take a few things from his room with him, like clothing, his phone, and a few books he wanted to keep. He also took the family photos from his dad's office, knowing that he wanted something to connect him to how life used to be.

The following month was painful. He stayed at the bakery with Marinette and her parents, the living room becoming a sort of make shift room for him. Tom and Sabine had been very welcoming and caring for Adrien once they had heard the news of what happened, and did their best to take care of him until the court decided what was going to happen with his living situation. Marinette was always there for Adrien to vent and talk to, and just acted as a best friend through everything that was happening. 

The court cases began. Adrien had to stand up and say that he had nothing to do with the situation of his father being Papillon and that he wasn't working with him. All of Gabriel's employees did the same, and the deciding answer to prove they were all innocent was Ladybug coming in to say that all of the akumatizations were being done by only one man.

Gabriel tried to claim that Adrien did know, though. He told the entire court that his son was Chat Noir, and that he knew for a week that Gabriel was the Papillon and didn't tell the authorities. No one believed him. They thought it was the ramblings of an insane, poor lost man. 

It hurt going to those court cases. Adrien wished Marinette could go to them, to act as a sense of comfort, but she always said that she couldn't make it. Having Ladybug occasionally there helped, though. His partner would sit next to him as the case went on. 

Adrien was lucky to have the friends he did.

In the end, Gabriel was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against Paris. The court decided they needed to find Adrien's next in kin for him to live with. Adrien didn't know any other family, he thought he didn't have any. Dread washed over Adrien as he worried he'd have to go through a foster system. However, the police did research in Adrien's family records, and found that he had grandparents in Paris. 

His mom's parents. Adrien had never met them, but when they arrive for the first time to meet Adrien, they pulled him into a giant hug. They cared about him. His grandma would constantly hug him and tell him how wonderful he was and how strong he was to go through something like that. His grandpa was a story teller; he would tell Adrien stories about his mom and what she was like when she was younger. 

Adrien loved them, but it was awkward moving in with family members he never knew he had. Still, their quaint home in Paris was cozy and warm. Adrien grew to appreciate it.

Chat Noir and Ladybug still went on patrols after that. Even though there were no more akumas to worry about, they still looked out for the city they loved. Ladybug spent a lot of time talking to Chat Noir. They got to know each other really well after the experience, and Adrien just found himself falling more and more in love with her. 

Adrien still went to school, although a lot of people didn't really talk to him now. They seemed scared of him, or more just scared of what his father did. 

But Adrien had Nino and Marinette and Alya. They were always there with him, and didn't treat him differently at all after the truth came out. 

Sometimes the three of them would go over to Adrien's grandparents house. They would play video games and hang out, and his grandparents never seemed to mind. They loved that their newly found grandson was able to still smile and laugh after all of the things that happened to him.

Marinette came over more often than the others. She would often cook with his grandma or listen to his grandpas stories. Adrien's grandparents loved her, and they appreciated that Adrien had such a nice friend to look out for him. Adrien appreciated that too. He realized that with how much Marinette and him had started hanging out since the beginning of the incident, that she was always one of his closest friends. Ever since the first day at school, she could never fail to make Adrien laugh and smile like he never had before.

And as he became closer friends with Marinette, he found himself falling head over heels for the girl who always brightened his day.

A year passed. Adrien was used to life how it was now. He still had nightmares, but did his best to put his past behind him.

One fateful night, Chat Noir had been on patrol with Ladybug. More often then not, their meetings were more about sharing their days than it was looking for crime. The streets of Paris had become calm since Gabriel was put in prison. 

That day, they were just talking like usual, when Ladybug went silent.

"Are you okay?" Chat asked. Ladybug sighed, and neutral expression on her face. She looked as if she was thinking very carefully on how to word what she was going to say next.

"Chat, I think I want you to know who I am."

Adrien sat stunned on the rooftops of a Paris building. Out of all the things to come out of Ladybug's mouth, that was the last thing he expected her to say.

"Are you sure? A year ago you said-"

She interrupted him. 

"That it would be dangerous. But a year has passed, and there's no danger in Paris anymore. And I just- I feel bad. I've known who you are this entire time, Chat, without it even being your choice. That's not fair. I feel like I've been lying to you by not telling you who I am. You've never complained about how I found out about it, yet it's not fair to you to not know who I am."

Adrien didn't say anything in response. He had wondered since he met Ladybug who she was, and now she was thinking of telling him, all because the danger was gone. Adrien didn't say anything.

Ladybug said nothing either. She simply closed her eyes, sighing. All of the sudden, a pink light glowed around her. Adrien looked away from the blinding light until it died down. He hesitated before looking over. 

"I'm sorry. I should have told you after we captured him" Ladybug said. Adrien bit his lip. He took a deep breath before looking over to see who was sitting in front of him. 

And he saw Marinette.

The girl who had become his best friend, a shoulder to lean on.

The girl who was his partner from the beginning.

They were the same person.

Chat pulled Marinette into a hug.

He couldn't be happier.

A lot can happen in two years. A lot _had_ happened in two years. Now, Adrien was nearing the end of school, and was on the search for a university to go to. All the stress of choosing a new school and the change around him was bringing back the fears he had last time there was change; He had lost so much in finding out his dad was the Papillon. Nightmares were a frequent happening because of this, but Adrien didn't want his grandparents to worry, so he didn't tell them about it.

Now there Adrien was, getting a glass of water from the kitchen. He knew he wasn't going to have much luck getting back to sleep after the dream he had. 

Adrien softly put together his glass of water and shuffled back to his room. He drank the glass of water, and had calmed down a lot from his dream. He got into bed, but ended up just staring at the ceiling. It must have been about 2 in the morning, and he had school in the following hours. 

Adrien sighed. He needed to fall asleep, but he couldn't. He was too unnerved from his dream to do so. Adrien picked up his phone from his bedside table, going to his contacts, and calling Marinette. She picked up almost instantaneously.

"Another bad dream?" She mumbled, her voice tired and soft. He knew that he had waken her up, but Adrien also knew that she didn't mind. This had become routine for them.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." Adrien responded.

"No no, it's okay. Relax, I'm here now." Marinette said, her voice calming and caring.

Then, she just began talking. She was talking about her day, her dreams, any random things she could come up with. Eventually, Adrien fell asleep to the sound of her voice. Marinette was just so comforting that her talking helped ease him into unconsciousness.  

"Are you awake?" She whispered. There was no response except for the soft breathing she could hear on the other side of the phone. Marinette smiled, hanging up and going back to sleep. 

Sometimes the truth is what hurts the most. 

But it's what we most need to move on and grow. 

A lot can happen in two years. 

Adrien was happy now, and when troubles came, he knew that he had family, friends, and his girlfriend- his  _best friend,_ there to back him up and take care of him. 

 


End file.
